I got an older mini. Serial number is 181-81116. I ran a rod through and got a twist of 1in about 10. Does this sound right. I have read conflicting info. By serial number some claim it should be a 1in 7. I will trust my measurement but just wondering. Being a 1in 10 will eliminate using some bullets I have a lot of.

It's probably 1 in 9.. I can't remember the history of the twist rate on mini's but it did change and you could be right about the 1 in 10... it is for sure not 1 in 7...

I don't see how it being 1 in 10 or 9 would 'eliminate' using any size round in it. Some might not be ideal, but anything will work and work to one degree or another fairly well within 100 yards. I am by no means an expert on this...

Thanks for the replies. I have the same book and I never thought to look. Some bullets say for best results use in a 1and 9 barrel. Granted the mini is no target rifle. But I want to get the best accuracy as possible. Plus with the cost of bullets now a days I don't want to be just throwing lead down range. That is what a 22 lr is for.

With a 1:10 twist, a 60 grain bullet would be optimum. Stabilizing a 69 grain bullet would be iffy..... might work, might not. I shoot a Savage bolt action with a 1:9 barrel, and 69 grain bullets work fine.... a 3/8" 5-shot group at 100 yards, and a 1" group at 200 yards. 75 grain bullets, however, have a half-decent 100 yard group but are all over the map by 200 yards.

55 grain FMJ purchased in bulk (500 or 1000 per package) are probably the cheapest "plinking" bullets, and will work just fine in a 1:10. With a 1979 vintage Mini, "plinking" is about all you'll do.

I don't believe the optimum twist theories. I have 1-9 and 1-8 twist ARs and a 1-9 twist Mini 14, they all shoot every 40-80 grain bullet I've loaded very well. I've also got 1-14 and 1-12 twist bolt guns that also shoot the 40-80 grain bullets, there are some 80s that won't shoot as well, like the Hornady A-Max, but the Nosler CC 80s shoot very well. Sierra uses the same J4 jacket but the Noslers are 20% cheaper.

I know every barrel is different and at times twist rate does not matter. Trouble is with the expense involved in trying different bullets I want to stack the deck in my favor. I have some 60 grain ss109 bullets. They will probable work in the mini. But they might not. So I will probable stick with some basic 55 fmj. It is after all a mini 14. No need to shoot expensive bullets as accuracy will probable not be the best no matter what I shoot. I know that at times twist rate can have a huge impact. My 22/250 ruger model 77mkII vt will not shoot anything heavier than 55 grain bullets with the 1in12 twist. The bullets actually hit the target sideways.

I recently purchased a 183,XXX stainless mini from a retired LEO friend. Haven't fully "wrung it out", but it seems to do better on paper than others have told me it should. Mine (also a 10" gun) does quite well with 60 gr. Nosler partitions (pushed by 25 gr. H4895) as well as the 55 gr. full patch stuff. Haven't tried anything heavier.

The thin barrel heats up VERY fast, but it also cools off quickly. If you're using the little carbine to dispatch coyotes (or even deer, under the right circumstances), you won't be blazing away like the old A Team gang did anyway. As far as that's concerned, if push came to shove, the gun would certainly up to the task of repelling boarders. I'm very pleased with my older Mini.

I have an older Mini with a 1 in 10" twist barrel (per R. L. Wilson's book), and it shoots quite well with el cheapo (well it was a couple years back) 55 gr. fmj PMC ammo. By that I mean 1" to 1 1/2" @ 50 yds. off a simple rest on a benchtop. Not MOA but for a Mini, I gather that's not too shabby.

Sorry, but I have a hard time buying that. I've seen too many examples of 75 grain bullets keyholing out of a 1:10 barrel. To think that an 80 grain bullet will be stable out of a 1:12 or 1:14 barrel is just a bit much.

If you're shooting at 25 to 50 yards, maybe so.... but I guarantee they're tumbling by 100 yards, unless your muzzle velocity is in the neighborhood of 5,000 ft/sec to get 'em spinning fast enough to be stable.

Start a tight patch; being sure the jag is tight on the rod.
Mark the rod with a felt tip to indicate Top Dead Center and a starting point.
Advance the rod until it comes back to Top Dead Center.
Measure the distance traveled from the start mark. That is the rifling twist, one turn in xx inches.
A lot easier than trying to estimate the amount of twist in a foot.

Start a tight patch; being sure the jag is tight on the rod.Mark the rod with a felt tip to indicate Top Dead Center and a starting point.Advance the rod until it comes back to Top Dead Center.Measure the distance traveled from the start mark. That is the rifling twist, one turn in xx inches.A lot easier than trying to estimate the amount of twist in a foot.

I agree. I dont think your going to get even 70 grain bulets to stablilize in a 1-10 twist at 223 veloitys. Maybe if they were shot out of a 22250 where the velocity was kicked up substantialy quote="wwb"]

Sorry, but I have a hard time buying that. I've seen too many examples of 75 grain bullets keyholing out of a 1:10 barrel. To think that an 80 grain bullet will be stable out of a 1:12 or 1:14 barrel is just a bit much.

If you're shooting at 25 to 50 yards, maybe so.... but I guarantee they're tumbling by 100 yards, unless your muzzle velocity is in the neighborhood of 5,000 ft/sec to get 'em spinning fast enough to be stable.[/quote]